Chevy Runs Deep… Into Greenwashing

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

So, GM is spending $40m on projects aimed at removing 8m metric tons of C02 from the atmosphere over the next five years… there’s nothing wrong with that, right? Not so fast Greenzo! Here’s the issue: GM claims that

its new carbon-reduction goal equates to the emissions in 2011 from driving the 1.9 million vehicles Chevrolet is expected to sell in the United States over the next year.

Which means that Chevy will actually spend five years and $40m to eliminate all the C02 it will create based on one year of sales. To a multinational corporation that might seem admirable, but to the people who actually care about C02 emissions, this merely underlines how massive GM’s C02 emissions actually are. Moreover, it’s spending that $40m on “eliminating” carbon not by making its vehicles more fuel-efficient, but by investing in initiatives that have nothing to do with its core automotive business.

In other words, Chevy is betting on the kind of directionless corporate greenwashing that jumped the shark several years ago (the prosecution would like to call “Greenzo” to the stand one more time). Here’s the thing: Chevy builds lots of cars, a goal that is fundamentally opposed to the goals of environmentalists… unless (and until) the cars themselves become cleaner. Rather than spending five years to offset a year’s worth of carbon emissions, Chevy should sink that $40m into the kinds of technology that actually bring it closer to a future in line with its professed environmental values. Because this kind of played-out PR effort is what makes people say “Chevy Runs Shallow.”


Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

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  • Motorhead10 Motorhead10 on Nov 29, 2010

    FWIW - In the business plan to Congress - they disclosed $2 bn in "Advanced Propulsion Development" through 2012. Page 23 http://clipsandcomment.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/gmbizplan.pdf

  • Philadlj Philadlj on Nov 29, 2010

    I have no problem with their efforts, but this minute-long pat on the back smacks of Old GM-style arrogance. It's disappointing, and it distracts from their products. Quit hugging trees and update the damn Impala, already!

  • Steven02 Steven02 on Nov 29, 2010

    I have to disagree with your assessment here. Chevy is doing something very proactive. Whether you believe in global warming or not, I don't think anyone would say that energy efficiency, conservation or more trees is a bad thing. There are some pretty cool things they are doing about capturing methane over landfills to use as energy. You also don't take into account that while this does remove 1 year of carbon output of the vehicles sold, it also reduces this output for more than just a 1 time incident. Most if not all of the improvements will be permanent. So you can start the cycle over again. Also, depending on the budget for GMs R and D, the 40 million may not make much of a difference, and a much bigger difference going into communities. Without producing actual numbers, I will only highlight Toyota's spending on R and D and safety numbers in their commercial. Given a ball park figure in that, it wouldn't make much of a difference. Also, it is coming out of GMs advertising budget.

  • Mike999 Mike999 on Nov 29, 2010

    They call it a start, it is a start. Wind, efficiency improvements( in their factories ) and reforestation, are all needed. There's been a vast increase in 100 year weather events, in the last 30 years. Anything and everything that can be done to offset carbon, by all manufacturer's, should be done. And it's one beautiful commercial. Too bad my drive out of Philadelphia doesn't look as pretty.

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